The pub and restaurant sector scooped several accolades at the recent Mumsnet Family Friendly Awards hosted by deputy prime minister Nick Clegg.

Mumsnet, one of the UK’s most influential website for parents, launched the Family Friendly programme in March 2011, responding to research that showed that 93% of Mumsnet users said that Britain’s businesses weren’t family friendly enough.

The awards were established to recognise companies for their contribution to family friendliness, with bronze, silver and gold categories awarded following internal reviews of their family friendly practices and ‘secret shopper’ scrutiny by teams of Mumsnet users, covering criteria including customer service, value for money, HR policies, training, and how companies communicate their family friendly policies to staff.

Two independent pubs, The Manor Arms & The Abinger Hatch, were awarded gold for their commitment to offering an excellent family experience – a jump from bronze last year.

The Abinger Hatch pub was praised for its transformed area of scrubland on the pub property into allotment plots for local schools, families and kids’ clubs, with a percentage of the fruit and vegetables grown going to the pub kitchen and being showcased on the menu.

Hravester and PizzaExpress were both awarded silver in the annual awards.

Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said: “I'm pleased to see the innovative ways in which these businesses have approached family life, not just to support working parents but also to help families and when they’re out and about with their children too.”

Mumsnet CEO and co-founder Justine Roberts said: “It is great to see so many companies embracing the idea that being family friendly can be good for business. Mumsnet users consistently tell us that flexibility at work is a priority, as is thoughtfulness about the challenges facing families in their daily lives. Many of our award winners have addressed these issues head on, and we’re pleased to be making a difference, one company at a time.”